Archive for the ‘Christ’ Category

by Toni Birdsong
It’s Monday. Again. With John Wayne grit, you point both barrels straight ahead determined to “get through” another week.

But before you agree to give into the grind, think about this:

Because of Sunday, your Mondays will never—ever—be the same. The glow of Resurrection day is on your face and it’s not coming off. You can’t pack it away with the pastels or expect to move through this world unnoticed, or unchanged.

You’ve been to the tomb. And it was empty.

You’ve experienced Him. And that encounter has forever blown your cover. Your membership to the ordinary has officially been revoked.

Expect Him today. He will whisper to your heart, so try to be quiet. He will sing over you, so don’t hesitate to fling your heart wide open. He will move you.

Because He died, you will live. And live. And live. Because He rose, you too will rise today—to second chances, do-overs, and new dreams.

A million Mondays can’t silence the thunder of that one Sunday or stifle the joy as you lifted your voice with the angels to sing, “Hosanna, Hosanna!”

No power on earth can eclipse what happened that day—a day that changed the composition of every other day to come.

For all you endured Lord, may I never forfeit the joy of the moment to “get through” another day. You brought me up from the grave, O Lord, you kept me from falling into the pit of death. Resurrection power has been spoken into my marrow. Let that miracle radically change . . . absolutely everything. May I unwrap this day with trembling, grateful, worship-worn hands.

Thank you God for your son and the Love that rescued me for the glory contained in this most amazing Monday. Amen.

How are you preserving your Resurrection Day glow?

Post/Tweet this today:
You’ve been to the tomb. And it was empty. Live boldly in light of the Resurrection . . . every day. #LiveSticky

God’s Word not only transforms your life, it transports you back in time. The consequences of sin, brokenness, and repentance unfold by book, chapter, and verse. These themes repeat and God’s faithfulness in every circumstance trumps them all.

You live in a time where digital power allows you to bring others to wherever you are to experience whatever you’re doing. If you frequent any number of social media platforms, you may be living out your life and not even aware of how it is impacting someone else. When the Spirit of the living God’s is alive in you, your influence serves a higher calling and what you share penetrates the stream with life-changing possibilities. Other’s have a chance to see God’s faithfulness at work in you.

But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. ~ II Peter 3:13

By Tami Heim

Yes, I’m still savoring Christmas, but I know this calendar year, whether I’m ready or not, is steam rolling into the history books. For some it’ll end like a strong sprint across the finish line or, at the other extreme, it’ll wash over as a muddled mess. Either way, 2011 is ready to wave its final good-bye and that leaves you and me almost standing face to face with 2012.

During this little gap between Christmas and New Year, are you trying to get a grip and orient towards whatever is new, better, and hopeful? How are you building your bridge between the timelines of the old year and the new one coming?

Our Prayer for 2012

We pray you will grow and discover new ways to make your voice heard. We ask God to give you a sense of urgency and an intense willingness to amp up the digital expression of God’s love and life in you. May the body be the body and radiate a magnificent cyber glow, living out boldly this great faith online. The world is desperate to see God’s glory in this time and place. You, beloved Christ followers, are His chosen point of contact. We pray you embrace the assignment and live each day to make Him known in the world.

We Encourage You

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. Luke 2:20, NIV

They remembered. “Glory to God in the highest heaven"

By Tami Heim

By any chance, did you wake up wishing Christmas lingered a little longer this year? I did. I’ve been thinking about the shepherds and the afterglow they experienced seeing the heavenly host of angels and then gazing on the face of the baby Jesus. I image they shared the story of that night often and every time they did it brought them new comfort and joy. I simply refuse to surrender the sacred sweetness of this Christmas season. Will you refuse, too? I’m making some choices today and invite you to join me.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. ~Isaiah 9:6

by Toni BirdsongHey, don’t be hating. It’s personal. I’ve decided not to say “Merry Christmas” this year. Why? Simply put: It just doesn’t get the job done.

Think about it. “Merry Christmas” doesn’t even come close to covering the holiness and love contained in God Almighty’s most compassionate act toward mankind. It fails to encompass the outrageous grace of God sending His son to earth to teach self-righteous, grab-happy men and women like you and I how to live and love . . . on heaven’s terms.

Merry Christmas. Such ordinary words fail to carry the extraordinary story of the life and sacrifice that lay ahead for the baby king born in a manger that night. Nor do they begin to unlock, bust open, and shake loose the chains that bind our souls—only that baby could do that.

And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Philippians 2:8, NIV

By Tami Heim

Inspired by Alece, at Grit & Glory, 2011 started with a one-word non resolution: Humility.As Christmas approaches and reflections on this past year begin to accumulate, people around the world celebrate the Breath of Heaven coming down to earth. God sends His Son and the world’s first introduction to the long awaited Saviour is a baby sleeping in a manger. Announced by prophets centuries before His birth, He arrives as our only Way, Truth, and Life. Every step, word, and action is marked with humility and testifies to the great love of the Father. That one word, humility, reflects His whole life.

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very natureGod, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

There’s a design feature in the masterpiece of creation that gives a planted seed the possibility to grow strong and bear fruit. In the same way the words you post in your network conversations are digital seeds. You point, click, and scatter them daily on a cyber mission field. Each one of them has the potential to travel a trillion megabytes, land somewhere unexpected, take root, grow strong, and bear fruit.

by Toni Birdsong
You may not own a home or even your own car. But if you’ve got a blog today, you’re sitting on a very valuable piece of property. With the trust in traditional media declining and trust in social media channels on the rise, bloggers today have undisputed influence. This moment in time is especially true for Christians who are brand advocates for history’s most powerful message—the gospel.

Think about it. Some blogs get more visits each day than churches get on Sunday, giving some bloggers more influence than some pastors. While that’s certainly not the intended goal, it is the reality.

Jesus commands His followers to love God and love people. Every connection He makes serves to emphasize this point. By invitation, He forgives, redeems, and introduces His Kingdom in real-time.

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

~Luke 7:36, NIV

Jesus loves and leverages the power of story. With them, He resets cultural boundaries, rocks the status quo, and accentuates a love beyond the law that few comprehend. Stories with unprecedented compassion and forgiveness relocate hearts to foreign and uncomfortable places. His holy agenda permeates what He says and all He does.

Blogroll

@tonibirdsong

I love the spoken word, the written word, and the everlasting Word. That God would tap a misfit like me to communicate His sticky message of love to others is proof of His amazing grace. It's my joy to help you dig up, demystify, and, debunk the tech speak so together, we can #LiveSticky online—for Him. Here's a little more of my story.

@tamiheim

I’m a child of the liberating King; soaked in grace, living to serve, and loving others along the way. I long for the utter relief of holiness and grateful I’ve not been left here to get there on my own. Believing whole-heartedly that He qualifies the called, I’ve accepted this assignment as a digital scribe for such a time as this. Here's a little more of my story.

@stickyJesus

. . . exists to equip you, the Christ follower, to confidently live out your faith in the digital world. We're here to infuse biblical perspective and daily inspiration into your online time. We'll help you grow your technical know-how so you can share the sticky love of Jesus Christ with others. We're teaching, listening, and collaborating with a fired-up community of digital scribes about culture, social media, and the kind of relationship building that will outlive cyberspace. Are you in?